Fourier analysis

mathematics

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An example of Fourier analysis

Using Fourier analysis, a step function is modeled, or decomposed, as the sum of various sine functions. This striking example demonstrates how even an obviously discontinuous and piecewise linear graph (a step function) can be reproduced to any desired level of accuracy by combining enough sine functions, each of which is continuous and nonlinear.

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major reference

Nowadays, trigonometric series solutions (12) are called Fourier series, after Joseph Fourier, who in 1822 published one of the great mathematical classics, The Analytical Theory of Heat. Fourier began with a problem closely analogous to the vibrating violin string: the conduction of heat…

determination of particle shape

…in three dimensions or by Fourier shape analysis, which uses harmonics analysis and computer digitizing to provide a precise description of particles in two dimensions. Form alone has limited usefulness in inferring depositional setting but more accurately reflects the mineralogy of the grains involved. Roundness is characterized by visually comparing…

functions of the ear

…functions as a type of Fourier analysis device, with the mechanism of the inner ear converting mechanical waves into electrical impulses that describe the intensity of the sound as a function of frequency. Ohm’s law of hearing is a statement of the fact that the perception of the tone of…

information theory

…analysis of continuous signals is Fourier analysis, which can be used to model a signal as a sum of simpler sine waves. The figure indicates how the first few stages might appear. It shows a square wave, which has points of discontinuity (“jumps”), being modeled by a sum of sine…

separation of variables

steady-state waves

…is the spectral analysis, or Fourier analysis, of a steady-state wave. According to the Fourier theorem, a steady-state wave is composed of a series of sinusoidal components whose frequencies are those of the fundamental and its harmonics, each component having the proper amplitude and phase. The sequence of components that…